Idlewild (film)
Encyclopedia
Idlewild is an American
musical film
, released August 25, 2006, written and directed by Bryan Barber
. The film stars André 3000
and Big Boi
of the hip hop
duo OutKast
, and Idlewild features musical numbers written, produced, and chiefly performed by OutKast. Idlewild contrasts OutKast's hip-hop/funk/soul
sound against a story about a juke joint
in the fictional Depression
-era town of Idlewild, Georgia
in 1935.
Distributed by Universal Pictures
, the film is a Universal and HBO Films
production with Mosaic Media Group and Forensic Films. The cast includes Terrence Howard
, Paula Jai Parker
, Paula Patton
, Cicely Tyson
, Ben Vereen
, Patti LaBelle
, Ving Rhames
, Macy Gray
, Faizon Love
, Bruce Bruce
, Malinda Williams, Jackie Long
and Bill Nunn
.
) and Rooster (Boi
) have been good friends since childhood. However, as they grow up, they each begin to live separate lives. Percival works at his father Percy Senior's (Vereen
) morgue preparing dead bodies during the day, and works at a local club called Church (owned by Ace (Love
)) at night playing the piano. Rooster grows up and involves himself in gambling, partying and business deals; he also gets married to Zora (Williams) and has a family. In addition, Rooster also works at the Church club as a performer. Another performer at the club is Taffy (Gray
) who is a drunk, loudmouth, jealous diva, who is slowly falling out of the limelight.
One night when Rooster shows up late to the club, due to an argument with his wife Zora, everyone becomes upset and rowdy including gangsters Spat (Rhames
), Trumpy (Howard
), Ace and Rose (Paula Jai Parker
) who have a business deal with the club and Rooster. Finally Rooster shows up and performs; Rooster, Spat, Trumpy and Ace talk about their deal. Spat wishes to get out of the business of rum-running
, and is willing to sell out to Ace. Meanwhile, backstage, a singer from St. Louis named Angel Davenport (Paula Patton
) comes into the club and starts to complain about her train ride and her contract with the club; Angel also begins to flirt with Percival.
Rooster and Rose have sex in a car in a warehouse until they hear people coming into the warehouse, Rose jumps out of the car, gets dressed and confronts Spat, Trumpy and Ace who have just arrived. Rose then runs off, Trumpy then shoots and kills Spat and Ace in order to get the business for himself and eliminate the only witness he knew about.
The following day Percival receives his boss Ace's body at the morgue and begins to insult him. Soon after Angel comes to visit Percival at the morgue and they begin to talk. Meanwhile Rooster runs into Trumpy while taking his family shopping and Trumpy explains that the debt owed by Ace is now his problem. He has to come up with this money by selling "hooch" or liquor at Church bought from Trumpy's "suppliers". Rooster goes to Rose's house to warn her of danger, but she is already packed up and ready to leave. As Rose drives away in a taxi, she is being watched by one of Trumpy's henchmen (However this henchman tells Trumpy the wrong information about what he saw).
Meanwhile Rooster begins to have more problems at the club, and forces Angel to sing. Angel then has a flashback of how she stole the real Angel Davenport's (LaBelle
) identity, and begins to show fear about singing onstage. However Percival gives her a song that he wrote for her to sing. At first she shows stagefright and is booed at the club, but then she gets into the song and the crowd goes wild, and Percival and Angel fall in love. Angel tells Percival how she plans on doing a concert in Chicago, and then traveling the world.
During a storm, Percival is playing the piano in the attic of the morgue, while Angel lies on her bed thinking about him, Angel runs over to the morgue to be with Percival, and the two have sex.
Roosters's wife Zora gets tired of his cheating and moves with their children to her mother's house. Angel finds out that she got the deal in Chicago and persuades Percival to go with her, but he refuses, since he wants to stay and take care of his father.
The next morning Angel wakes to find out that Percival knew that she wasn't who she said she was, and reveals that her real name is Sally B. Shelly and finally persuades him to go to Chicago with her.
Rooster devised a plan to buy liquor from two bootleggers that are well known to him, GW (Nunn
) and his partner. This allows him to bypass Trumpy's absurd prices and make a much bigger profit. One day, Rooster is making his rounds to pick up hooch from GW to load in a hearse borrowed from Percival, when he sees a car on the road that seems to be stuck. He approaches the car to see an old woman, Mother Hopkins (Tyson
), and her grandchildren. Mother Hopkins tells Rooster that he is an angel and gives him a bible. Rooster walks into the old abandoned house of the two bootleggers and sees that GW's partner is killed and GW is being beaten to the point of death by Trumpy's henchmen.
Rooster is caught and brought to Trumpy, and GW is shot and killed. There is a fight between Rooster and Trumpy's henchmen. Rooster is shot but not killed due to the bible in his jacket and drives away in the hearse. However Trumpy pursues him and shoots at him. Rooster escapes into the Church club, and soon after Trumpy arrives at the club. Before going to Chicago, Angel and Percival decide to make a stop at the Church club, Rooster and Trumpy have a dramatic fight in the club and shots are fired by Trumpy. Everyone in the club panics, and just when Trumpy is about to shoot Rooster, Trumpy is shot and killed by Percival.
Percival then notices that Angel has been shot and runs to her aid. However Angel dies soon afterward and Percival begins to grieve. He then tends to her and prepares her for burial, dressing her up in a wedding gown and slipping a ring on her finger, implying that he was planning on marrying her. Afterward, Percival attempts to commit suicide by hanging himself in his room, but is interrupted when Rooster rings the doorbell. Percival is consoled and gives Angel's Chicago bound ticket to Rooster, who is then reunited with his wife and children. Percival then begins to make records and tour in clubs throughout America and becomes famous. The film ends with pictures of Percival, and Angel in her coffin hung next to a picture of Percival's mother in her coffin at Percival's house.
) The hip hop
, funk, and soul
stylings of the song score are intentionally anachronistic, given the fact that the film is set in 1935. Elements of 1930s-era blues
and jazz music are however featured prominently in many of the musical numbers. The film's dance numbers, choreographed by Hinton Battle
, also feature many period dances, primarily the jitterbug.
Most of the songs in Idlewild had already been featured on the OutKast albums Big Boi and Dre Present...OutKast
and Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
, essentially making Idlewild a jukebox musical
. Seven of the songs from the film, along with several unreleased songs, were released by LaFace Records
as an OutKast
album entitled Idlewild
at the time of the film's release.
aggregate of 47% rotten. Peter Travers of Rolling Stone
said, "Idlewild can't decide if it's about bullets, booze, broads or the sound of hip-hop that the film strenuously tries to marry to the 1930s". "Seemingly meant as an African-American Moulin Rouge
," wrote Frank Lovece
of Film Journal International
, "this visual blast of an homage to classic Hollywood musicals settles in as an odd hybrid, neither fish nor fowl. Nor foul, either, though not great — and ultimately, more idle than wild". Teresa Wiltz of The Washington Post
likewise acknowledged director Bryan Barber's inventiveness, saying that, "For all its shortcomings, Idlewild also has something that few films can pull off: Moments of such pure cinematic fabulousness, breathtaking dance sequences and idiosyncratic flourishes that we are more than willing to forgive it for all its sins".
The film grossed $12,571,185 on a $10 million budget.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
musical film
Musical film
The musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate...
, released August 25, 2006, written and directed by Bryan Barber
Bryan Barber
Bryan Barber is a music video and motion picture director. He has directed many music videos for popular artists.-Personal:Barber graduated from Sacramento, CA Hiram Johnson High School in 1988...
. The film stars André 3000
André 3000
André Lauren Benjamin , better known by his stage name André 3000 is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and actor, best known for being part of American hip-hop duo OutKast alongside fellow rapper Big Boi...
and Big Boi
Big Boi
Antwan André Patton , better known by his stage name Big Boi, is an American rapper, song-writer, record producer and actor, best known for being a member of American hip hop duo OutKast alongside André 3000. His work in the duo has produced six studio albums. During the duo's hiatus, he and André...
of the hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
duo OutKast
OutKast
Outkast is an American hip hop duo based in East Point, Georgia, consisting of Atlanta native André "André 3000" Benjamin and Savannah, Georgia-born Antwan "Big Boi" Patton. They were originally known as Two Shades Deep but later changed the group's name to OutKast...
, and Idlewild features musical numbers written, produced, and chiefly performed by OutKast. Idlewild contrasts OutKast's hip-hop/funk/soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
sound against a story about a juke joint
Juke joint
Juke joint is the vernacular term for an informal establishment featuring music, dancing, gambling, and drinking, primarily operated by African American people in the southeastern United States. The term "juke" is believed to derive from the Gullah word joog, meaning rowdy or disorderly...
in the fictional Depression
Great Depression in the United States
The Great Depression began with the Wall Street Crash of October, 1929 and rapidly spread worldwide. The market crash marked the beginning of a decade of high unemployment, poverty, low profits, deflation, plunging farm incomes, and lost opportunities for economic growth and personal advancement...
-era town of Idlewild, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
in 1935.
Distributed by Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures
-1920:* White Youth* The Flaming Disc* Am I Dreaming?* The Dragon's Net* The Adorable Savage* Putting It Over* The Line Runners-1921:* The Fire Eater* A Battle of Wits* Dream Girl* The Millionaire...
, the film is a Universal and HBO Films
HBO Films
HBO Films is a division of the cable television network HBO that produces feature films and miniseries. While much of HBO Films' output is created directly for the television market, such as the film Witness Protection and the mini-series Band of Brothers, Pacific, Generation Kill and Angels in...
production with Mosaic Media Group and Forensic Films. The cast includes Terrence Howard
Terrence Howard
Terrence Dashon Howard is an American actor. Having his first major role in the 1995 film Mr. Holland's Opus, which subsequently led to a number of roles in films and high visibility among African American audiences. Howard broke into the mainstream with a succession of well-reviewed television...
, Paula Jai Parker
Paula Jai Parker
Paula Jai Parker is an American actress and comedian. She is best known of her roles as Lexus in Hustle & Flow, Joi in Friday, and as the voice of matriarch Trudy Proud on the Disney Channel animated sitcom The Proud Family....
, Paula Patton
Paula Patton
Paula Maxine Patton is an American actress. She is mostly known for her appearances in the films Idlewild , Déjà Vu , Mirrors , Swing Vote , Precious , Just Wright , and Jumping the Broom .-Early life and career:Patton was born in Los Angeles, to Joyce , a European-American...
, Cicely Tyson
Cicely Tyson
Cicely Tyson is an American actress. A successful stage actress, Tyson is also known for her Oscar-nominated role in the film Sounder and the television movies The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman and Roots....
, Ben Vereen
Ben Vereen
Ben Vereen is an American actor, dancer, and singer who has appeared in numerous Broadway theatre shows. Vereen graduated from Manhattan's High School of Performing Arts.- Early years :...
, Patti LaBelle
Patti LaBelle
Patricia Louise Holte-Edwards , better known under the stage name, Patti LaBelle, is a Grammy Award winning American singer, author and actress who has spent over 50 years in the music industry...
, Ving Rhames
Ving Rhames
Irving Rameses "Ving" Rhames is an American actor best known for his work in Bringing Out the Dead, Pulp Fiction, Baby Boy, Don King: Only in America, and the Mission: Impossible film series.-Early life and education:...
, Macy Gray
Macy Gray
Macy Gray is a Grammy Award-winning American R&B and soul singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress, famed for her distinctive raspy voice, and a singing style heavily influenced by Billie Holiday and Betty Davis.Gray has released five studio albums, with her fifth studio album, The Sellout,...
, Faizon Love
Faizon Love
Faizon Andre Love is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for roles in the films Friday, Elf, Made, and Couples Retreat.-Life and career:...
, Bruce Bruce
Bruce Bruce
Bruce Bruce is an American actor and stand-up comedian from Atlanta, Georgia. He grew up in The Bluff, one of the city's roughest ghettos....
, Malinda Williams, Jackie Long
Jackie Long
Jackie Long is an American actor, writer, producer, singer, director, comedian, and musician from Pasadena, California...
and Bill Nunn
Bill Nunn
-Early life:Nunn was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the son of William G. Nunn, Jr., a well-known journalist and editor at the Pittsburgh Courier, as well as an NFL scout. Nunn's paternal grandfather was the first African American football player at George Westinghouse High School.Nunn was a...
.
Plot summary
Percival (3000André 3000
André Lauren Benjamin , better known by his stage name André 3000 is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and actor, best known for being part of American hip-hop duo OutKast alongside fellow rapper Big Boi...
) and Rooster (Boi
Big Boi
Antwan André Patton , better known by his stage name Big Boi, is an American rapper, song-writer, record producer and actor, best known for being a member of American hip hop duo OutKast alongside André 3000. His work in the duo has produced six studio albums. During the duo's hiatus, he and André...
) have been good friends since childhood. However, as they grow up, they each begin to live separate lives. Percival works at his father Percy Senior's (Vereen
Ben Vereen
Ben Vereen is an American actor, dancer, and singer who has appeared in numerous Broadway theatre shows. Vereen graduated from Manhattan's High School of Performing Arts.- Early years :...
) morgue preparing dead bodies during the day, and works at a local club called Church (owned by Ace (Love
Faizon Love
Faizon Andre Love is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for roles in the films Friday, Elf, Made, and Couples Retreat.-Life and career:...
)) at night playing the piano. Rooster grows up and involves himself in gambling, partying and business deals; he also gets married to Zora (Williams) and has a family. In addition, Rooster also works at the Church club as a performer. Another performer at the club is Taffy (Gray
Macy Gray
Macy Gray is a Grammy Award-winning American R&B and soul singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress, famed for her distinctive raspy voice, and a singing style heavily influenced by Billie Holiday and Betty Davis.Gray has released five studio albums, with her fifth studio album, The Sellout,...
) who is a drunk, loudmouth, jealous diva, who is slowly falling out of the limelight.
One night when Rooster shows up late to the club, due to an argument with his wife Zora, everyone becomes upset and rowdy including gangsters Spat (Rhames
Ving Rhames
Irving Rameses "Ving" Rhames is an American actor best known for his work in Bringing Out the Dead, Pulp Fiction, Baby Boy, Don King: Only in America, and the Mission: Impossible film series.-Early life and education:...
), Trumpy (Howard
Terrence Howard
Terrence Dashon Howard is an American actor. Having his first major role in the 1995 film Mr. Holland's Opus, which subsequently led to a number of roles in films and high visibility among African American audiences. Howard broke into the mainstream with a succession of well-reviewed television...
), Ace and Rose (Paula Jai Parker
Paula Jai Parker
Paula Jai Parker is an American actress and comedian. She is best known of her roles as Lexus in Hustle & Flow, Joi in Friday, and as the voice of matriarch Trudy Proud on the Disney Channel animated sitcom The Proud Family....
) who have a business deal with the club and Rooster. Finally Rooster shows up and performs; Rooster, Spat, Trumpy and Ace talk about their deal. Spat wishes to get out of the business of rum-running
Rum-running
Rum-running, also known as bootlegging, is the illegal business of transporting alcoholic beverages where such transportation is forbidden by law...
, and is willing to sell out to Ace. Meanwhile, backstage, a singer from St. Louis named Angel Davenport (Paula Patton
Paula Patton
Paula Maxine Patton is an American actress. She is mostly known for her appearances in the films Idlewild , Déjà Vu , Mirrors , Swing Vote , Precious , Just Wright , and Jumping the Broom .-Early life and career:Patton was born in Los Angeles, to Joyce , a European-American...
) comes into the club and starts to complain about her train ride and her contract with the club; Angel also begins to flirt with Percival.
Rooster and Rose have sex in a car in a warehouse until they hear people coming into the warehouse, Rose jumps out of the car, gets dressed and confronts Spat, Trumpy and Ace who have just arrived. Rose then runs off, Trumpy then shoots and kills Spat and Ace in order to get the business for himself and eliminate the only witness he knew about.
The following day Percival receives his boss Ace's body at the morgue and begins to insult him. Soon after Angel comes to visit Percival at the morgue and they begin to talk. Meanwhile Rooster runs into Trumpy while taking his family shopping and Trumpy explains that the debt owed by Ace is now his problem. He has to come up with this money by selling "hooch" or liquor at Church bought from Trumpy's "suppliers". Rooster goes to Rose's house to warn her of danger, but she is already packed up and ready to leave. As Rose drives away in a taxi, she is being watched by one of Trumpy's henchmen (However this henchman tells Trumpy the wrong information about what he saw).
Meanwhile Rooster begins to have more problems at the club, and forces Angel to sing. Angel then has a flashback of how she stole the real Angel Davenport's (LaBelle
Patti LaBelle
Patricia Louise Holte-Edwards , better known under the stage name, Patti LaBelle, is a Grammy Award winning American singer, author and actress who has spent over 50 years in the music industry...
) identity, and begins to show fear about singing onstage. However Percival gives her a song that he wrote for her to sing. At first she shows stagefright and is booed at the club, but then she gets into the song and the crowd goes wild, and Percival and Angel fall in love. Angel tells Percival how she plans on doing a concert in Chicago, and then traveling the world.
During a storm, Percival is playing the piano in the attic of the morgue, while Angel lies on her bed thinking about him, Angel runs over to the morgue to be with Percival, and the two have sex.
Roosters's wife Zora gets tired of his cheating and moves with their children to her mother's house. Angel finds out that she got the deal in Chicago and persuades Percival to go with her, but he refuses, since he wants to stay and take care of his father.
The next morning Angel wakes to find out that Percival knew that she wasn't who she said she was, and reveals that her real name is Sally B. Shelly and finally persuades him to go to Chicago with her.
Rooster devised a plan to buy liquor from two bootleggers that are well known to him, GW (Nunn
Bill Nunn
-Early life:Nunn was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the son of William G. Nunn, Jr., a well-known journalist and editor at the Pittsburgh Courier, as well as an NFL scout. Nunn's paternal grandfather was the first African American football player at George Westinghouse High School.Nunn was a...
) and his partner. This allows him to bypass Trumpy's absurd prices and make a much bigger profit. One day, Rooster is making his rounds to pick up hooch from GW to load in a hearse borrowed from Percival, when he sees a car on the road that seems to be stuck. He approaches the car to see an old woman, Mother Hopkins (Tyson
Cicely Tyson
Cicely Tyson is an American actress. A successful stage actress, Tyson is also known for her Oscar-nominated role in the film Sounder and the television movies The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman and Roots....
), and her grandchildren. Mother Hopkins tells Rooster that he is an angel and gives him a bible. Rooster walks into the old abandoned house of the two bootleggers and sees that GW's partner is killed and GW is being beaten to the point of death by Trumpy's henchmen.
Rooster is caught and brought to Trumpy, and GW is shot and killed. There is a fight between Rooster and Trumpy's henchmen. Rooster is shot but not killed due to the bible in his jacket and drives away in the hearse. However Trumpy pursues him and shoots at him. Rooster escapes into the Church club, and soon after Trumpy arrives at the club. Before going to Chicago, Angel and Percival decide to make a stop at the Church club, Rooster and Trumpy have a dramatic fight in the club and shots are fired by Trumpy. Everyone in the club panics, and just when Trumpy is about to shoot Rooster, Trumpy is shot and killed by Percival.
Percival then notices that Angel has been shot and runs to her aid. However Angel dies soon afterward and Percival begins to grieve. He then tends to her and prepares her for burial, dressing her up in a wedding gown and slipping a ring on her finger, implying that he was planning on marrying her. Afterward, Percival attempts to commit suicide by hanging himself in his room, but is interrupted when Rooster rings the doorbell. Percival is consoled and gives Angel's Chicago bound ticket to Rooster, who is then reunited with his wife and children. Percival then begins to make records and tour in clubs throughout America and becomes famous. The film ends with pictures of Percival, and Angel in her coffin hung next to a picture of Percival's mother in her coffin at Percival's house.
Cast
- André 3000André 3000André Lauren Benjamin , better known by his stage name André 3000 is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and actor, best known for being part of American hip-hop duo OutKast alongside fellow rapper Big Boi...
... Percival - Big BoiBig BoiAntwan André Patton , better known by his stage name Big Boi, is an American rapper, song-writer, record producer and actor, best known for being a member of American hip hop duo OutKast alongside André 3000. His work in the duo has produced six studio albums. During the duo's hiatus, he and André...
... Rooster - Paula PattonPaula PattonPaula Maxine Patton is an American actress. She is mostly known for her appearances in the films Idlewild , Déjà Vu , Mirrors , Swing Vote , Precious , Just Wright , and Jumping the Broom .-Early life and career:Patton was born in Los Angeles, to Joyce , a European-American...
... Angel - Terrence HowardTerrence HowardTerrence Dashon Howard is an American actor. Having his first major role in the 1995 film Mr. Holland's Opus, which subsequently led to a number of roles in films and high visibility among African American audiences. Howard broke into the mainstream with a succession of well-reviewed television...
... Trumpy - Faizon LoveFaizon LoveFaizon Andre Love is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for roles in the films Friday, Elf, Made, and Couples Retreat.-Life and career:...
... Ace - Malinda Williams ... Zora
- Cicely TysonCicely TysonCicely Tyson is an American actress. A successful stage actress, Tyson is also known for her Oscar-nominated role in the film Sounder and the television movies The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman and Roots....
... Mother Hopkins - Macy GrayMacy GrayMacy Gray is a Grammy Award-winning American R&B and soul singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress, famed for her distinctive raspy voice, and a singing style heavily influenced by Billie Holiday and Betty Davis.Gray has released five studio albums, with her fifth studio album, The Sellout,...
... Taffy - Ben VereenBen VereenBen Vereen is an American actor, dancer, and singer who has appeared in numerous Broadway theatre shows. Vereen graduated from Manhattan's High School of Performing Arts.- Early years :...
... Percy Senior - Paula Jai ParkerPaula Jai ParkerPaula Jai Parker is an American actress and comedian. She is best known of her roles as Lexus in Hustle & Flow, Joi in Friday, and as the voice of matriarch Trudy Proud on the Disney Channel animated sitcom The Proud Family....
... Rose - Bobb'e J. Thompson ... Young Rooster
- Patti LaBellePatti LaBellePatricia Louise Holte-Edwards , better known under the stage name, Patti LaBelle, is a Grammy Award winning American singer, author and actress who has spent over 50 years in the music industry...
... The Real Angel Davenport - Ving RhamesVing RhamesIrving Rameses "Ving" Rhames is an American actor best known for his work in Bringing Out the Dead, Pulp Fiction, Baby Boy, Don King: Only in America, and the Mission: Impossible film series.-Early life and education:...
... Spats
Music
The musical numbers in the film are songs written and performed by OutKast, with other featured performances by Macy Gray and Paula Patton (dubbed by Debra KillingsDebra Killings
Debra Killings is an American singer and bass guitarist; notable for an extensive session and background vocal work for LaFace Records & Rowdy Records-based artists such as TLC, Monica and OutKast....
) The hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
, funk, and soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
stylings of the song score are intentionally anachronistic, given the fact that the film is set in 1935. Elements of 1930s-era blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
and jazz music are however featured prominently in many of the musical numbers. The film's dance numbers, choreographed by Hinton Battle
Hinton Battle
Hinton Battle is an American actor, dancer, and dance instructor. He has won three Tony Awards, all in the category of Featured Actor in a Musical...
, also feature many period dances, primarily the jitterbug.
Most of the songs in Idlewild had already been featured on the OutKast albums Big Boi and Dre Present...OutKast
Big Boi and Dre Present...OutKast
Big Boi and Dre Present...OutKast is the first OutKast greatest hits album, released on Arista Records in 2001. The compilation consists of five tracks from Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, one from ATLiens, and three each from the break-out albums Aquemini and Stankonia...
and Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
Speakerboxxx/The Love Below is the fifth studio album by American hip hop duo OutKast, released September 23, 2003 on LaFace Records in the United States. Issued as a double album, it clocks in at over two hours and consists of a solo album from both of the group's members...
, essentially making Idlewild a jukebox musical
Jukebox musical
A jukebox musical is a stage or film musical that uses previously released popular songs as its musical score. Usually the songs have in common a connection with a particular popular musician or group — either because they were written by, or for, the artists in question, or were at least...
. Seven of the songs from the film, along with several unreleased songs, were released by LaFace Records
LaFace Records
LaFace Records is an American record label, owned and operated by Sony Music Entertainment.-Company history:LaFace was formed in 1989 as a joint venture between the producing duo Antonio "L.A." Reid & Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, and Arista Records. The combined nicknames of the duo's successful...
as an OutKast
OutKast
Outkast is an American hip hop duo based in East Point, Georgia, consisting of Atlanta native André "André 3000" Benjamin and Savannah, Georgia-born Antwan "Big Boi" Patton. They were originally known as Two Shades Deep but later changed the group's name to OutKast...
album entitled Idlewild
Idlewild (OutKast album)
Idlewild is the sixth studio album by American hip hop duo OutKast, released August 22, 2006 on LaFace Records. It also serves as the soundtrack album to the duo's musical film of the same name, released by Universal Pictures in August 2006...
at the time of the film's release.
Musical numbers
| # | Song title | Character(s)/ Performer(s) |
Songwriters | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Greatest Show on Earth" | Taffy (Macy Gray Macy Gray Macy Gray is a Grammy Award-winning American R&B and soul singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress, famed for her distinctive raspy voice, and a singing style heavily influenced by Billie Holiday and Betty Davis.Gray has released five studio albums, with her fifth studio album, The Sellout,... featuring OutKast) |
André Benjamin | Idlewild Idlewild (OutKast album) Idlewild is the sixth studio album by American hip hop duo OutKast, released August 22, 2006 on LaFace Records. It also serves as the soundtrack album to the duo's musical film of the same name, released by Universal Pictures in August 2006... |
| 2 | "Makes No Sense at All" | Percival (André 3000) |
André Benjamin | Idlewild |
| 3 | "Bowtie" | Rooster (Big Boi Big Boi Antwan André Patton , better known by his stage name Big Boi, is an American rapper, song-writer, record producer and actor, best known for being a member of American hip hop duo OutKast alongside André 3000. His work in the duo has produced six studio albums. During the duo's hiatus, he and André... featuring Sleepy Brown Sleepy Brown Patrick "Sleepy" Brown is an R&B singer-songwriter, and record producer. He is one-third of the successful Atlanta-based production team of Organized Noize, which has created hits for acts such as OutKast, Goodie Mob, and TLC... and Jazze Pha Jazze Pha Phalon Anton Alexander , also known as Jazze Pha , is an American singer, and songwriter.raised in Memphis, TN; son of James Alexander .... ) |
Antwan Andre Patton, Patrick Brown, Phalon Alexander | Speakerboxxx/The Love Below Speakerboxxx/The Love Below Speakerboxxx/The Love Below is the fifth studio album by American hip hop duo OutKast, released September 23, 2003 on LaFace Records in the United States. Issued as a double album, it clocks in at over two hours and consists of a solo album from both of the group's members... |
| 4 | "Chronomentrophobia" | Percival (André 3000) |
André Benjamin | Idlewild |
| 5 | "The Rooster" | Rooster (Big Boi) |
Antwan Andre Patton, Carlton "Carl Mo" Mahone, Donnie Mathis | Speakerboxxx/The Love Below Speakerboxxx/The Love Below Speakerboxxx/The Love Below is the fifth studio album by American hip hop duo OutKast, released September 23, 2003 on LaFace Records in the United States. Issued as a double album, it clocks in at over two hours and consists of a solo album from both of the group's members... |
| 6 | "Movin' Cool (The After Party)" | Percival & Angel (André 3000 and Paula Patton, dubbed by Debra Killings Debra Killings Debra Killings is an American singer and bass guitarist; notable for an extensive session and background vocal work for LaFace Records & Rowdy Records-based artists such as TLC, Monica and OutKast.... ) |
André Benjamin, Antwan Andre Patton, David Sheats Mr. DJ Mr. DJ, born David Sheats, is a Grammy Award-winning American hip-hop record producer and DJ from Atlanta, Georgia.-Biography:Raised on the southside of College Park, Georgia, Mr. DJ entered the music industry as a DJ for Atlanta-based hip-hop group OutKast. According to Sheats,After touring with... , Joi Gilliam-Gipp Joi (singer) Joi Elaine Gilliam , better known by her stage name Joi, is an American R&B/Rock singer, songwriter and record producer associated with the Dungeon Family collective based in Atlanta, Georgia, and as such often performs with OutKast, the Organized Noize production team, and Goodie Mob Joi Elaine... |
Big Boi and Dre Present...OutKast Big Boi and Dre Present...OutKast Big Boi and Dre Present...OutKast is the first OutKast greatest hits album, released on Arista Records in 2001. The compilation consists of five tracks from Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, one from ATLiens, and three each from the break-out albums Aquemini and Stankonia... (The original LP version of this song features Joi Joi (singer) Joi Elaine Gilliam , better known by her stage name Joi, is an American R&B/Rock singer, songwriter and record producer associated with the Dungeon Family collective based in Atlanta, Georgia, and as such often performs with OutKast, the Organized Noize production team, and Goodie Mob Joi Elaine... instead of Killings) |
| 7 | "Take Off Your Cool" | André 3000 and Norah Jones Norah Jones Norah Jones is an American singer-songwriter and occasional actress.In 2002, she launched her solo music career with the release of the commercially successful and critically acclaimed album Come Away With Me, which was certified a diamond album in 2002, selling over 20 million copies... (song not performed by characters in film) |
André Benjamin | Speakerboxx/The Love Below |
| 8 | "Church" | Rooster (Big Boi) |
Antwan Andre Patton, Andre Benjamin, Kevin Kendricks, Myrna Crenshaw, Patrick Brown | Speakerboxx/The Love Below |
| 9 | "She Lives in My Lap" | Percival (André 3000) |
André Benjamin, Willie Dennis, Dino Hawkins, Isaac Hayes Isaac Hayes Isaac Lee Hayes, Jr. was an American songwriter, musician, singer and actor. Hayes was one of the creative influences behind the southern soul music label Stax Records, where he served both as an in-house songwriter and as a record producer, teaming with his partner David Porter during the... , Brad Jordan Scarface (rapper) Brad Terrence Jordan , better known by his stage name Scarface, is an American rapper, and recording artist from Houston, Texas and a member of the Geto Boys. He is originally from South Park, Houston.-Life and career:... , Doug King, Roger Troutman Roger Troutman Roger Troutman was the lead singer of the band Zapp who helped spearhead the Funk movement and heavily influenced West Coast hip hop due to the scene's heavy sampling of his music over the years... , Eric Vidal |
Speakerboxx/The Love Below (The original LP version of this song features Rosario Dawson Rosario Dawson Rosario Isabel Dawson is an American actress, singer, and writer. She has appeared in films such as Kids, Men in Black II, 25th Hour, Sin City, Clerks II, Rent, Death Proof, The Rundown, Eagle Eye, Alexander, Seven Pounds, Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief and Unstoppable.-Early... |
| 10 | "Vibrate" | Percival (André 3000) |
André Benjamin | Speakerboxx/The Love Below |
| 11 | "When I Look in Your Eyes" | Percival (André 3000) |
Andre Benjamin, Kevin Kendrick | Idlewild |
| 12 | "PJ & Rooster" | Percival (André 3000) |
Andre Benjamin, Antwan Andre Patton | Idlewild |
Reception
The film received mixed response, with a Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
aggregate of 47% rotten. Peter Travers of Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
said, "Idlewild can't decide if it's about bullets, booze, broads or the sound of hip-hop that the film strenuously tries to marry to the 1930s". "Seemingly meant as an African-American Moulin Rouge
Moulin Rouge!
Moulin Rouge! is a 2001 romantic jukebox musical film directed, produced, and co-written by Baz Luhrmann. Following the Red Curtain Cinema principles, the film is based on the Orphean myth, La Traviata, and La Bohème...
," wrote Frank Lovece
Frank Lovece
Frank Lovece is an American journalist, author, comedy performer and comic book writer. He was additionally one of the first professional Web journalists, becoming an editor of a Silicon Alley start-up in 1996....
of Film Journal International
Film Journal International
Film Journal International is a motion-picture industry trade magazine published by the American company Prometheus Global Media. It is a sister publication of Adweek, Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter, and other periodicals....
, "this visual blast of an homage to classic Hollywood musicals settles in as an odd hybrid, neither fish nor fowl. Nor foul, either, though not great — and ultimately, more idle than wild". Teresa Wiltz of The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
likewise acknowledged director Bryan Barber's inventiveness, saying that, "For all its shortcomings, Idlewild also has something that few films can pull off: Moments of such pure cinematic fabulousness, breathtaking dance sequences and idiosyncratic flourishes that we are more than willing to forgive it for all its sins".
The film grossed $12,571,185 on a $10 million budget.
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Black Reel Awards Black Reel Awards The Black Reel Awards began in 2000 and were designed to annually recognize and celebrate the achievements of black people in feature, independent and television films... |
Best Screenplay, Adapted or Original | Bryan Barber | Nominated |
| Best Score | Big Boi | Nominated | ||
| Best Original Soundtrack | OutKast | Nominated | ||
| Best Song, Original or Adapted | OutKast - "Idlewild Blues" | Nominated | ||
| Best Director | Bryan Barber | Nominated | ||